NBA PLAYER NEWS

Phoenix Suns small forward Kelly Oubre (knee) is expected to return this season.

What It Means:

After a recovery time around five months, the Phoenix forward is expected to return this season from his right meniscus injury. "I expect he will play, yes," said Suns' owner Robert Sarver when asked about his player's status. Expect Oubre to initially play with a minutes limit whenever he is active.

In 1935 minutes on the court this season, Oubre is averaging 0.96 FanDuel points, a usage rate of 22.5%, and 0.43 Field Goal Attempts.

Orlando Magic power forward Jonathan Isaac (knee) is not expected to return this season.

What It Means:

The Magic will see first how Isaac looks during rehab but do not expect him to play again this season after suffering a knee injury on January 1st. "There’s a difference of being healthy and then being safely healthy," said Jeff Weltman President of the Magic's Basketball Operations. "It will have been a long, long time since those guys played and you know organizationally that we’re never going to put our guys in a position where they’re exposed to any sort of risk of injury."

With Isaac unlikely to play again, Nikola Vucevic has produced the highest usage rate at 26.8% this season. In 1256 minutes with Isaac off the court, the Magic center is averaging 0.61 FanDuel points per minute and 0.53 Field Goal Attempts.

Orlando Magic guard/forward Evan Fournier is expected to be fully recovered from a right elbow injury when the NBA season resumes in July.

What It Means:

Fournier was ruled out indefinitely with a UCL sprain in early March and was expected to miss numerous games, but the league's suspension has provided him with time to heal. He is now expected to be at full health when the league resumes.

Per FanDuel Sportsbook, the Orlando Magic are +25000 to win the NBA Championship, tied for the worst odds out of the 22 teams that will participate when the season resumes in July.

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant is not expected to return for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.

What It Means:

Durant was expected to sit out on the entire 2019-20 season with an Achilles injury he suffered during last season's NBA Finals. However, the pause in the season provided additional recovery time that led some to believe he may be able to return when the league resumes in July. Multiple sources are reporting that will not happen, and Durant will stick with his original plan, to return for the 2020-21 season.

Per FanDuel Sportsbook, the Brooklyn Nets are +8500 to win the NBA Championship, the 12th best odds out of the 22 teams that will participate when the NBA resumes in July.

The NBA's Board of Governors has agreed to resume the 2019-20 season with 22 teams playing in Orlando.

What It Means:

The league is expected to resume on July 31. The 16 current playoff teams will be joined by the Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, and Washington Wizards. Each team will play eight games before the playoffs for seeding purposes. If the 9th seed is within four games of the 8th seed, then there will be a play-in for the last spot that requires double-elimination for the 8th seed and single-elimination for the 9th seed. The 16 playoff teams are: Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Clippers, Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Brooklyn Nets, and Orlando Magic.

The Bucks are the top team in numberFire's NBA Team Power Rankings and our models give them a 55.8 percent chance of winning the title. The Lakers are next at 22.0 percent.

The NBA is planning to resume play on July 31 in Orlando with 22 teams, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

What It Means:

The 16 current playoff teams will be joined by the Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns, and Washington Wizards. Each team will play eight games before the playoffs for seeding purposes. If the 9th seed is within four games of the 8th seed, then there will be a play-in for the last spot that requires double-elimination for the 8th seed and single-elimination for the 9th seed. The 16 playoff teams are: Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Clippers, Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Brooklyn Nets, and Orlando Magic.

The Bucks are the top team in numberFire's NBA Team Power Rankings and our models give them a 55.8 percent chance of winning the title. The Lakers are next at 22.0 percent.